Tag Archives: Boston Common

Our last stop on our trip into Massachusetts is the great city of Boston, the state’s capital. We don’t have much time, and too much to do and see. And so forced to be ruthless in how we spend our 2 full days, we decide on the Boston Common and the Boston Children’s Museum, with a quick pop-in to Cheers Beacon Hill (formerly the Bull & Finch), a walk around Faneuil Hall and up and down Newbury Street,

The husband decided on luxury, so we are very comfortably ensconced at the Copley Plaza hotel. (Thanks Shyam, for being the trailblazer!)

Opulent

It’s the kind of hotel that has real Chagall, Picasso and Matisses, hanging nonchalantly on the walls.

The real deal

On our way to the Common we walk up Boylston Street, to lunch at the Parish restaurant, which came highly recommended by a lovely porter at the Copley. The food was amazing, as was this watermelon beer I had.

Coming out of a satisfying lunch, we walk further up Boylston and come across these fluttering in the wind, outside a church. Immediately reminded that the finish line in the 2013 Boston marathon was on this very street, where those horrific bombs went off.

Prayers. Corner of Boylston St, which is happily, back in business.

The Boston Common is a big green lung in the centre of the city. The brainchild of Frederick Law Olmsted back in 1634, this public park is the oldest in the US. It is just beautiful, peaceful and reviving, with a little lake in the middle occupied by ducks and swans. We spent a long and happy time there.

So greenChecking out the birds

Revenge of the Ugly Duckling

Making off with more blooms. A budding kleptomaniac?Coming in for the hugMy darling monkeys

Coming out of the Common on Beacon Street, we cross the road to the Bull & Finch pub, which was the building used in the long-standing series Cheers. We pop in for a quick look at that famous bar where Sam, Woody, Diane, Frasier, Rebecca became names everyone knew.

Beacon St, up the road from the Cheers pub

On our walk down Newbury Street, Juno spotted these:

Dyed, stuffed and bejeweled foxes. Newbury St, Boston

Newbury St needs its own dedicated visit, to do its brilliant shops justice. Since I didn’t have time, I sensibly limited myself to longing looks aka window-shopping.

The Boston Children’s Museum is an excellent way to spend a day, if you have children, that is.

Boston Children’s Museum

It’s got a wide range of activities catering to different age groups, and while Jude was occupied, I took Juno around elsewhere, and she had loads of fun.

Dancing with LightsMessing with oobleckAlphabet time“Why, fancy meeting you here.”

Wow!Now THAT is a dollhouseSmall entomologist at work

There was a cake-making activity at work in a lovely art room.

Artist at workTa-da!

Inviting spaceLiked how the cake layers echo the brickwork

And some other things that caught my eye… always happy amidst art.

cool chair

I’d have that in my house

Meantime Jude was climbing up this slightly scary looking thing.

“Over here, mom!”Working up a sweatScience at work

But this disco-lit floor, that required avoidance of moving ights and competition was what he played on the most, having to be literally dragged away just before closing time.

Jump!“One more round please!!!”

We walk over to Faneuil Hall, famed for being the site of famous political speeches, and a thriving marketplace. Jude gets sidetracked by some people who are letting kids play on some new DS thing for free.

Dinner everywhere is packed and we end up at this bizarre place called Dick’s Last Resort – the name should have warned us, though we cotton on pretty quickly: the raison d’être is for the waitstaff to ridicule and yell at you, and for the hapless customer to be bibbed and paper-crowned, with personal inscriptions. We got a waiter who was actually quite nice to us for some reason, especially to the kids, but I saw some people cluelessly walk in and then quickly out, after a waiter/waitress said something sarcastic/rude and literally threw their menus onto the table. It was pretty hilarious I have to say.